Hot Cocoa
by SashaElizabeth
Summary: Cora, newly married to Robert, is feeling lonely at Christmas until something unexpected happens.


The characters do not belong to me. Extra special thanks to my lovely beta reader, granthamfan!

Hot Cocoa

December 1888

Cora stared out of the window at the large, fluffy snowflakes that drifted down in an ever-increasing curtain of white. Normally she loved the snow, but since being at Downton, it increased the sense of isolation that she already felt when the weather was at its best. Everything was so silent here, from the house itself with the way its floors made her footsteps echo as loudly as the pounding of her heart after Robert's mother had yet another go at her simply for being American to the people who regarded her with wordless mistrust. Her relationship with Robert was detached at best. Her new husband never mistreated her, but he didn't act as she had always believed a husband should, affectionate with eyes full of love.

It had been on nights like this during her childhood and teenage years that Cora had fantasized about what it would be like to fall in love. The whiteness of the snow reminded her of the white wedding gowns of the brides whose ceremonies she attended with awe, older girls on the arm of a handsome man. Cora would sigh and daydream about her own wedding day to a man as perfect as the prince in a fairy tale as she watched these lavish events unfold. Then in the summer of her twentieth year, Martha had gotten the idea to take Cora abroad, which resulted in a whirlwind courtship with a man who could very well have fit into her teenage fantasies. It may have looked perfect, but one crucial thing was missing: true love.

Viscount Downton was hardly the man of her dreams in this regard. When they were intimate, it was clear that the only purpose for such an activity was to produce an heir. After they were finished, Robert quickly put his nightclothes and robe back on and hastened toward his own dressing room, leaving Cora to lie in the huge bed alone, listening to the sounds of an ancient house at night. Only twenty years old and barely out of her adolescent years, the scratching of tree branches or sudden torrential downpours scared Cora. She held her pillow tight, closing her eyes in order to imagine life back in America where people loved her and spoke to her kindly, making her know she was welcome every day of her life. It was the total opposite here.

As she continued to watch the snow land upon the grounds, Cora shivered. The house was drafty and not comfortably heated as her home in America had been, but the reason for her chill was not merely physical. It took all the restraint in Cora's being to not let the tears that were prickling at her eyelids fall, lest Robert or her mother-in-law suddenly come into the room. Her father-in-law Patrick was more gentle toward her feelings than his wife or son. Somehow the current Earl of Grantham appeared to understand Cora's awkward situation. She had sometimes overheard him telling Violet and Robert to treat her more compassionately. Whenever Cora thought of him, her heart warmed a tiny bit because she didn't feel completely alone.

However, on this night, she might as well have been marooned in Antarctica for the companionship she lacked. Even though the thought made the unshed tears more threatening, Cora had always dreamed of what her first Christmas would be like once she was married. She had visualized herself sitting in front of a festively decorated tree with her husband, exchanging gifts as they laughed and kissed. It was such a warm scene that it made her feel even colder than she had before.

The door to the room swung open and Cora whirled around to see who had entered and shattered her reverie. It was Robert, walking toward her with an unsearchable expression on his face.

"Did I startle you?" His voice was its regular modulation of consideration as one would have for a schoolmate or a neighbor.

She shook her head. "No, I was just watching the snow," she explained, hoping desperately that her face didn't give away the ponderings that had been flying through her mind faster than the flakes of snow outside.

Her husband cleared his throat. "I'm glad because I just came in to give you something."

Cora dared not let herself hope that things might be turning the corner, but a tiny part of her mind clung onto her previous wishes. "What is it?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

Robert smiled at her, perhaps more warmly than he had done before, as he continued to approach her with two parcels wrapped in bright paper in his hands. "Happy Early Christmas, Cora. I chose these with help from Rosamund, because my dear sister has excellent taste. I hope you enjoy them."

Cora was speechless as she took the first gift from him with trembling, chilled hands. It was a deep red shawl, very much the fashion of the day but also very warm. She wrapped it around herself with a smile. "Thank you so much, Robert. It's lovely!"

Robert's shy smile turned into a full-fledged grin. "It makes be very happy that you like it, Cora. Will you open the next one?"

Cora nodded with a smile of her own. She had always loved presents, but these bore a special emphasis because they created a moment in which she began to feel as if her dreams might one day come true with this young man before her. Her hands flew over the wrapping paper of the smaller box, tearing it open to reveal a ruby pendant.

"It's beautiful, Robert! Thank you so much!"

"Turn around, and I'll help you put it on," Robert offered.

Cora happily obliged and felt a small tingle run through her body at the touch of his fingers on her skin. They were warm, just like she was finally becoming under the shawl.

"One more surprise, dear," Robert said as he signaled to someone in the open doorway. At his beckoning,Carson strode inside, carrying two beverages on a silver tray.

"I believe you Americans enjoy hot cocoa at this time of the year?"

Cora nodded vigorously, not trusting her voice. He cared about what she was missing from home?

As soon as Carson had left, they sat done by the window with their hot cocoa in hand.

"This is so thoughtful of you, Robert." Cora looked down very shyly, deciding that it would be all right to tell her new husband some of her memories of home. In this moment of rare closeness, she knew by instinct that he wouldn't chastise her origins. "When we were children, my brother and I always drank hot cocoa after skating on this pond a few blocks from our house. We'd come in half frozen, but delighted. It was the best time."

"I haven't been skating for years," Robert noted as he embraced his wife. "Maybe you could help me remember, say tomorrow? I want to enjoy the things you do at Christmas. I know it's not easy for you here, and I'm afraid that sometimes I'm part of the reason you feel isolated. But, I care for you, Cora, and I'd like to help you be more at home here if I can," he offered in a voice as shy as she felt.

"I'd love to," Cora replied. "Thank you for everything, Robert. The gifts, the hot cocoa and what you just said to me. I didn't think anyone understood."

His answer was another somewhat bashful embrace. Before they parted ways, he gave her a tender kiss. Cora was amazed because the only time he kissed her at all was in the bedroom, a perfunctory peck on the cheek before tying the sash on his robe. But, this was heartfelt, borne of understanding and affection.

It might not have been the scene of which Cora has dreamed, but the unexpected kindness and understanding was a definite step in the right direction.


End file.
